# 23 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Record: 4-5
RPI: # 122
The Seahawks, still licking their wounds after a 3-game sweep at the hands of Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, return home for a 9-game homestand. But it won't be against a significantly weaker opponent, as the Seahawks face the defending national champions, # 23 Coastal Carolina, at Brooks Field on Wednesday afternoon. It will be the first of three games played against the Chanticleers this year, two of which will take place at Brooks Field.
Coastal isn't nearly the same team as they were last year when they made their magical run through Omaha. The Chanticleers had 6 players taken in the 2016 MLB Draft in June, and all 6 signed pro contracts with their respective teams. Probably the biggest loss was Junior shortstop Michael Paez, who was taken in the 4th round by the New York Mets after a season in which he was a Louisville Slugger First Team All-American and Big South Player of the Year.
Not only did the Chanticleers lose a lot of familiar faces, they also lost their Big South affiliation, which is a boon for their football program and maybe even moreso for their baseball program. Playing quality, Regional-caliber teams like South Alabama and Louisiana-Lafayette every year can only help Coastal build off their national title towards becoming a national power. And certainly the Sun Belt must be thrilled to have their baseball program enter the league as well.
So far in the 2017 campaign, Coastal has struggled. They blew out Charleston, 16-7, but also lost to JMU, 11-3 and got blown out themselves by West Virginia, 22-9, this past Saturday at home. The Chanticleers are likely going to need time to "gel", and should get better as the season goes on.
For the time being, junior first baseman
Kevin Woodall, Jr. has been crushing the ball for Coastal, to the tune of 5 HR and 11 RBI, 9 runs scored and a .703 slugging percentage, leading the team in all 4 categories. Another standout on offense is junior center fielder
Billy Cooke, hitting .300 with 1 HR, 5 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. A lot of other hitters are struggling for Coastal, however, as the team is hitting just .241.
On the mound, senior righty
Alex Cunningham is 2-0 in 2 starts, with a 1.38 ERA, 9 strikeouts and 3 walks in 13.0 innings. Out of the bullpen, another senior righty in
Cole Schaefer has made 3 appearances and has a 1.86 ERA, with 11 strikeouts in 9.2 innings. Other pitchers have had notable success, but overall the staff is also struggling, with a team ERA of 6.37 and a gaudy .337 opposing batting average. 6 different pitchers have ERA's over 5.00.
Ultimately, you have to expect Coastal starts to "figure it out". Despite a lot of talent leaving, they're still a fairly veteran team in 2017. Among their 10 primary hitters used so far this year, 8 are upperclassmen. And 6 of their 10 most used pitchers are upperclassmen as well. For UNCW's purposes, the hope is that "figuring it out" waits at least a few more days so the Seahawks can pick up an important non-conference win. Or, better yet, they beat Coastal when they're playing at their best.